05/05/2013 Sunday Politics East Midlands

the only two counties won by Labour. The new leaders of Nottinghamshire

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2232 seconds

and Derbyshire are with us, and the the trend? UKIP have made advances

in Lincolnshire, but they have lost seats everywhere else in the

region. Instead, Labour are celebrating.

CHEERING And I am in Leicestershire at the

Battle of Bosworth Field bank holiday reenactment, from the days

when a swing in the polls could be a rather eye watering experience.

We have the leaders from Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and

Derbyshire County Councils life in the studio. Labour's Anne Western

and the Conservatives Nick Rushton have both come in to talk to us. Has

its own in yet? It is starting to sink in. It is fabulous that the

people of Derbyshire have put their trust back in Labour by such a wide

margin. It gives us a clear mandate. We need to look at

Derbyshire because we have been a bit of an outlier and we have had a

fantastic result which has not reflected the rest of the country.

We have run a really positive campaign. There has also been

dissatisfaction with the previous Conservative council. Nick, everyone

was predicting a UKIP surgeon Leicestershire, but you have fought

them off. It was a tough campaign for us. Where UKIP stood, they did

get 24% of the vote. We need to respect that people voted for UKIP

and seek to get them back voting for We will be hearing more about both

of your plans for Leicestershire and Derbyshire in a moment. First,

let's look at the political map across the East Midlands.

Labour took control of Derbyshire from the Conservatives, winning 43

seats, an increase of 20. The Conservatives win 18, down by 13.

The Lib Dems took three seats, a fall of four. UKIP and independents

were left without any seats. Labour were Nottinghamshire two, but

it was close. They win 34 seats, the Mint -- million -- minimum number

required for a majority. The Conservatives had a drop of 14. The

Lib Dems lost one. UKIP lost their only seat on the council. The

Conservatives retained control of Leicestershire.

They now have 30 seats, a fall of three. The Liberal Democrats came

second with 13, one less than last time. Lady came third with ten

councillors. UKIP when two seats on the council.

There was a shock for the Conservatives in Lincolnshire, where

they lost overall control. They are still the largest party with 36

seats, but that is a fall of 24. UK may advantage -- made advances. The

Lib Dems came fifth, with three seats, a drop of two.

And, you -- Anne what are your priorities now? We have always said

that the priorities of any council is to serve the people we

represent, not the needs of the organisation. We have been looking

at the pressures that are falling on families in particular. We want to

support people through these difficult times. We are looking at

growing jobs in the county, bringing in new investment and helping young

people into work. We are looking at defending the health service within

the county. There is a lot of work to be done on adult social care,

especially for older people and those with learning disabilities.

And we want to reconnect the county council with communities. Derbyshire

is a large county, and the seat at Matlock feels quite remote. Nick

Rushton, you have similar priorities, but you have talked

about introducing big tent politics. What does that mean? We all know

that, whoever wins, there is no more money. The set-up a committee before

the election which will involve the Liberal opposition and the Labour

Party. We will meet and continue this straightaway as soon as we get

back to work, and we will decide to make savings or do things in a

different way, to deliver the frontline services for the least

possible money. And you think you can work together on that? I hope

so. I think many of the areas where we have to make savings are above

and beyond politics. We just have to get in there and get on with the

job. How are you going to deliver those promises, Anne? You are

talking about �1 million for potholes, for example. How can you

deliver that when you will be spending money like that? It is

about shifting the focus of whether money is spent. I take issue with

what Nick said about there being no more money. That is a choice that

the government has made. Money is not fairly distributed across the

country. Money goes to the South East at the expense of the Midlands

the North. We are still in one of the most wealthy countries in the

world, and it is not about there not being enough money, it is about the

distribution of money. All of us, regardless of politics, should be

taking those are to the government. Money is the most important thing at

the moment, because there is not enough of it. You have got to find

another �30 million of cuts. Where will those cuts fall? This is the

job that we start on as soon as we get back on Wednesday. It is going

to be very tough. We are a poorly funded local authority, the worst

funded education authority bar one in the whole country. We still pride

ourselves on being able to deliver excellent services for a low cost.

We will have to change. We will be speaking to the NHS and other

spenders, and even with Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, if they want to

do business with us, I want to do business with them on backroom

services where we can save money and deliver frontline services.

On this banker, Day weekend, our Political Editor John Hess is at the

Battle of Bosworth Field in Leicestershire, where he has been

gathering results from the political battlefield.

Yes, I have got to county council is from Leicestershire here, Michael

Mullaney, Lib Dem, and newly elected UKIP county council for

Leicestershire, David Sprason. Michael, congratulations. If UKIP is

now the party of protest, what is the point of the Lib Dems? UKIP did

get a good vote across Leicestershire and the rest of the

East Midlands. But we defended all of our seeds in Bosworth and

Hinckley. But that is not an overall trend. It is a localised effect.

Leicestershire as a whole, we held all but one of our seeds, and we

still be main opposition to the Conservatives in Leicestershire. If

Labour were making any kind of recovery, they would have overtaken

us. They have not. What happens to the coalition is David Cameron has

to shift further to a Euro-sceptic line? Will that put unacceptable

strains on the coalition? The Lib Dems are fighting in government for

the things we believe in, like raising the income tax threshold. We

will continue to campaign and fight for our policies, and the Tories try

to push their way, we will try to stop them. David, you have had an

interesting journey. You were a senior Conservative and defected to

UKIP. Congratulations on your result. What do you think it tells

us about politics in this country, and in this corner of the Midlands?

I think it sends a clear message about the three main parties. They

have lost it. They have lost the working class man and woman, and

they are turning to UKIP, who actually represent their views. That

is the big picture that is emerging. What does UKIP policy say on adult

social care on fixing potholes? They are the bread and butter issues.

Like everybody else, absolutely. It is wrong that older people have to

sell their own homes to pay for their care. Why are we sending �54

million every day to Brussels when we have got pressure on adult social

care? It needs proper funding. I have been fighting for that for

years. Talking to ministers, you need to fund social care properly.

It is interesting what you are saying earlier. Do you think that

UKIP's appeal is to Labour voters in a region like this? Or is it the

Tories that are looking at the national polls, are more attracted

to the UKIP message? It was across the board. In my election, people

were talking to me he was saying they had not voted for eight or ten

years, who voted for UKIP, because the three main parties have let them

down. As you know, Nick Rushton is sitting in the studio. Is there any

particular message that you have for him, and for the Conservative

Party? Yes. One, can he apologised to the 24,000 people who voted UKIP

in Leicestershire, that he called them fruit loops? And secondly, what

is his vision for Leicestershire? Why is he going to increase council

tax and cut services? Is he going to actually look at the infrastructure

within County Hall and cut that instead? OK, let's see what he has

to say. Well, the fruit loops expression, in

my view, was electoral banter at the time. I am not -- I am big enough to

apologise for using it. I respect that a vast percentage of

Leicestershire did vote for UKIP and I will respect their views. What you

have to say to David, back to him? He was your former deputy wants.

When he was my deputy, we had a good working relationship, and he was an

excellent adult social care cabinet member. He is back there as the

leader of UKIP in the area, and I want to have a meaningful and

friendly relationship with him. He worked hard and he has been elected

by the people of his division. A meaningful relationship? Can it

work? I don't think so. They are totally different. We want to freeze

council tax. He wants to increase it by 6%. We want to stick up for the

working class people in Leicestershire and those

hard-pressed families. OK, David Sprason, thank you very much. Anne

Western has made way for another victorious Labour councillor here in

the studio. Alan Rhodes, you took Nottinghamshire from the

Conservatives, but it was close run. One seat involved. But I've

good as you had hoped for expected? It was a close. We kept it

interesting. It was a cliffhanger until the end. We got a mandate. We

are the Administration. We win the election, and we will now be rolling

out the programme that we promised the electorate. But he only won

because UKIP hit the Tory vote. UKIP had an impact... We won two

seeds in Westbridge food. To lay the seeds came to us from Westbridge fit

-- to Labour seats. Our priorities will be jobs and schools training.

Youth unemployment as well is of great concern. We want to create a

county that attracts inward investment, and we want to make sure

that Nottinghamshire people are able to access those opportunities. There

are other things that people on the doorstep told us they wanted. We are

going to introduce 20 Mph St -- speed limits outside schools. We are

going to keep street lights on, because committee safety is very

important. We're going to invest in our libraries and youth centres.

lands. Can you work together? Nick, you would like to open the door and

work with others, you were saying. am perfectly happy to work with

Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and save money on back office services.

It would be a missed opportunity if we didn't. This is about delivering

affordable services to the people of Nottinghamshire, and I am happy to

work with Leicestershire and any other local authority, or the

business sector or any other organisation, to help us to do that,

to deliver. That is what we have been elected to do. We need to

deliver quality, affordable services. But you still have to make

huge cuts. Where will they fall? have always said it will not be

easy. We knew that we would, if we were elected into power in

Nottinghamshire, that we would have big decisions to make. We will be

sitting down in the coming weeks. We will open the Bucks and we will see

where the commitments are. -- open the books. We will decide from there

on in where we need to change. you have a reduced majority. Where

the heart for you to get any cuts packages through? I don't think so.

Some of the savings we have already identified. I said to you earlier

that we want to set up a new committee to work with opposition

members to identify where we can make savings. It will be difficult.

We have got to save around �100 billion over the next four years.

Will you close Snibston Discovery Park? Labour said they wanted to

save it. If they look in our manifesto, they will see that there

are no plans to shut it. So it will stay open? For all those people who

work there, they will be relieved to get that. There are no plans to shut

Snibston Discovery Park. Thank you very much.

Let's go back to John at the Battle of Bosworth Field site.

We are in the cafe area now. We have been joined by some very

well-dressed gentleman. -- gentle man. Tell us what you are doing here

this weekend. We are father and son. You said we were father and husband.

You misspoke expat I answer -- you misspoke! I and the Duke of Norfolk.

Why was it important to you to vote in the election? It is important

because I care about the community. I voted Conservative. What made you

the Conservative, and not UKIP? the Conservative Party, they are an

established party, and like everything else, they make

mistakes, but they have got the framework to put their mistakes

right. The others, to me, they were an unknown quantity. So you still

have confidence in David Cameron? Yes. Have a fantastic weekend.

Let's deputy of some of the visitors who have come here. -- let's get the

view of some of the visitors who have come here. Did you vote on

Thursday? Yes. If you don't vote, you don't qualify for any say in

what happens to you and who governs you. How did you vote?I am not

telling you. What is your take on where we are politically at the

moment? We are two years away from the general election. What went

through your mind before you voted? I always have had the same ideology

since I could vote, and the only thing that went through my mind was,

the way I would normally have voted... So you are not going to

change your mind? I have already changed my mind. You're a classic

swing voter. Your vote is up for grabs? No. It will only be changed

once. And that is only once in the last 25 years. OK, thank you very

much. The visitors have started to gather

here for this bank holiday event. I will speak to you shortly.

Interesting to hear what people have to say. They have already made their

minds as to how they may vote in the next general election. I thought

this was all about local. Obviously not? We are proud of our record, and

you're outside broadcast comes from one of our best visitor attractions

in the whole of Leicestershire, Bosworth battlefield. It is a good

example of how I want to work with the Labour authority. We want to

develop a whole Richard III weekend out. We are going to develop a

fantastic attraction on the site where the body was found. We look

forward to it. What do you think about what they were saying their?

They are making their minds up now about 2015. Elections are always

fought on a combination of national and local issues. That happened this

time, with dissatisfaction with the coalition government and the

Conservatives locally. Time for a round-up of the other

political stories in the East Midlands this week.

Voters are being asked to hold onto election leaflets they were given in

the run-up to the county council elections. The unlocked democracy

group wants them for a survey on what information is available to

people during an election. The Labour East Midlands NEP Glenis

Willmott is supporting a campaign to increase the awareness of strokes.

She is Labour's spokesperson in Europe. She is steering new laws on

clinical trials through the European Parliament which she says will help

research into medical emergencies. Knotting in MP Chris Leslie has

spoken out about their street's parliamentary break. Parliament will

be back on Tuesday, but the MP says that given the scale of the problems

facing the country, it is unbelievable that MPs have had

another break. Annie Battle of Bosworth Field be

long over, but the battle of the bonus rattles on. Distant relatives

of Richard III I going to the High Court to fight a decision to bury

him in Leicester. They want his remains taken to his home city of

York. The battle rumbles on. Richard III

met his end at Bosworth, John, so you better be careful! How do you

see the results now, a couple of days later?

I have got the ideal political metaphor for you come and four Nick

Rushton as well. There are some big tents in the background. Looking at

the outcome of the results, none of the main parties have got anything

to crow about. The other fact is that the turnout was abysmally low.

Even in a place like Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire, or here in South

Leicestershire, where there is a tradition of a good turnout, barely

one third of people bothered to vote. That is a caveat that I would

add to these results. The question, I suppose, is UKIP. They have done

very well. That has had an effect. It could well be that the Labour

Party in some areas benefited from that. It may well be that in other

areas the Tories saw off the UKIP challenge. I think we will see this

time next year, with the European elections, UKIP doing well again.

But will the surge start their? Or will it end their? -- there?

What you think these results mean for the general election in 2015?

Not an awful lot. The real politics kicks off on Wednesday with the

Queens speech. Then we get back to bread and butter issues. The new

rail service will sweep not far from this whole battleground.

Thank you very much. Alan Rhodes, what is the first thing on your hit

list when you hit the ground running on Tuesday? What is up there, the

big thing you need to deal with first? We will be back in the office

on Tuesday, and the first thing I am going to do his name might even of

committee chairs and vice chairs who are going to take responsibility for

the various directorates and budget headings that we have at County

Hall. Then I am going to sit down with the most senior officers in the

county council, the chief executive, we will open the looks at -- open

the books and decide how to go forward. What is the big issue,

briefly? The big issue is how to find out how to put plans in place

to create new jobs and employment opportunities. And deliver the

promises that you made. What about you, Nick? On Tuesday, I am going to

spend a day at Melton Mowbray market, another institution we are

proud of. I am meeting with the chief executive on Wednesday, and I

will be getting my senior team. Our priorities are always the same.